1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print data processing apparatus, a print data processing method, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
When an image forming apparatus (e.g., a copying machine) performs an image output operation, the image forming apparatus generates intermediate data based on an analysis on a Page Description Language (PDL) serving as print data and rasterizes the intermediate data into raster data. The PDL can define rendering commands for respective data, such as characters and graphics data.
The PDLs can be classified into various types. For example, if a PDL includes characters and graphics data that are independent in each page and there is no dependency between characters and graphics data of different pages, the PDL is referred to as an “independent PDL.”
Further, if the above-described data can be shared among a plurality of pages included in the PDL, the PDL is referred to as a “non-independent PDL.” The above-described data is generally referred to as a “resource.” Further, if the independent PDL includes directly accessible head data of a page, the PDL is referred to as a “directly accessible PDL.”
The recent progress in hardware technologies has introduced multicore processors, which are installable in a Multi Function Peripheral (MFP). The multicore processors enable the MFP to realize parallel operations of a plurality of functions (e.g., copy and print) that can be smoothly performed.
A printing control technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-201077 uses multicore processors to speedily perform drawing processing based on a PDL.
The above-described printing control technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-201077 includes reading a row of print commands (PDL) that extends on a plurality of pages when a PDL is allocated to different processors on a page-by-page basis, and executing empty drawing for setting drawing attribute parameters of each page without performing actual drawing (real drawing). The above-described conventional printing control technique further includes causing each processor to execute real drawing processing according to the row of print commands when the empty drawing of a page has been completed.